Rabbits

A famous chef named Mossiman was on TV for a few minutes today to talk about a meal his father used to make on Sundays, and to demonstrate, as he talked, how to prepare and cook it (it was a short "fill-in" sort of programme so the ingredients weren't specified but you could see them). Looked a nice dish. A long time ago I'd have enjoyed it. But not now. I have not eaten rabbit for many years. When I was child my mother often cooked rabbit; it was a popular, cheap meal - chicken then was something of a Sunday treat, much dearer than rabbit. Then two things happened at about the same time. One day my uncle, home from the forces, walked into the dining room, sniffed the air and said: "Rabbit! I just cannot stand the smell of rabbit." Suddenly I was aware of the smell.... of course I had always been aware of it, but I had never thought of it as it being a horrible one. His remark did it for me, finished me with rabbit.
I might have ignored what he said and gone on eating it - I might have - but for the fact that myxomatosis was infecting rabbits all over the country just after he had apocalyptically made his announcement and, of course, no one would now eat wild rabbit for fear of catching it.
So rabbits went off my menu for good. I noticed it was back on the menus of some restaurants some years ago and this is a little surprising to me because about twenty years ago we had pet rabbits in the back garden until suddenly they died. From myxamotosis.